Candidates swarm forums

Back to back political forums in Kingwood last week saw candidates standing shoulder to shoulder and nose to nose in the first local face-offs for candidates running for a variety of offices.

The governmental affairs committee of the Humble Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the first event, inviting chamber members to an after hours at Savannah Rose, a Kingwood banquet facility. Committee chair Mickey Kahn, an attorney in Humble, welcomed nearly 20 incumbents and contenders to introduce themselves and give a brief synopsis of their political platforms.

J. Kent Adams is running to retain his place as Justice of the Peace for Harris County Precinct 4, Position 1. Adams was appointed by Harris County commissioners to complete the term of H.N. McElroy, who resigned last March. The court has the largest number of cases in Texas and processed more than 106,000 cases last year. One noteworthy program emphasized by Adams is a community service aspect for teenage offenders. "They receive a reduced fine but they must sweat," he said, "They must wash school buses, patrol cars and do other physical labor." Adams' two opponents were no-shows.

Charles Hixon is the sole Democrat running for Harris County Commissioner Precinct 4. Hixon is running to restore efficiency to Precinct 4. He also advocates "open government" and "development with minimal environmental damage." He will face incumbent Jerry Eversole, who did not show up at the event, in November.

Kingwood resident and County Civil Court at Law Judge Lynn Bradshaw-Hull is seeking a third term. To date, Hull has disposed of more than 32,000 cases. "Mostly I focus on contracts, collisions, and condemnations," she said. The Republican was first elected in 1993 and again in 1998. She is faced with primary opponents and another in the general election. Hull outpolled all her competition 12 to one in the recent Harris County Bar Association poll. She was overwhelmingly rated as "most qualified" for her office. Her opponents did not attend the event.

Don Large is challenging Michael Stafford to be the Republican nominee for Harris County Attorney. Large is seeking his first public office "because I am most qualified to restore public integrity and public professionalism" to the office. Large was the only candidate for the county attorney race to appear.

Georgia Dempster is seeking reelection for a third time as judge in the 308th Family District Court. Dempster told the crowd, "I've done a fine job." She is a former schoolteacher who chose law as a second profession late in life. "I graduated from law school the same month my youngest child graduated from high school."

Pam Halliburton is seeking the office of judge of the 309th Family Civil District Court. This is an open race with five candidates in the Republican primary. She practices family law and is a certified mediator.

Jay Karahan is running for County Criminal Court 8. Karahan is seeking the open office and said he has been encouraged to run by Judge Ted Poe. Karahan touted endorsements by the C Club, the United Republicans of Harris County and also was the highest rated (in his race) by the recent bar poll.

Jennifer Elrod is running for the 190th Civil District Court. She said she is the "only experienced candidate in this race." Elrod is a lawyer for Baker and Botts and got her start in politics by working for then-Congressman Jack Fields in his Washington office. Elrod is rated "most qualified" by the bar poll in her race.

Kingwood Middle School Principal Jason Ceyannes asked the group to support him for the State Board of Education District 7. Ceyannes is running against an incumbent from Beaumont who did not appear at the event. Ceyannes said he is running "because I believe there should be a practicing educator on the State Board of Education." He also pointed out that he has no hidden agendas or special interests.

Three candidates for the newly-created state Representative District 150 spoke. Rafael Ortega "wants to give back to the community." He proudly announced his endorsement by the Houston Chronicle and promised he can "make a difference" if elected.

Debbie Riddle is also running for SR 150. She "has what people want, namely — accessibility, availability and reliability." Riddle has been a Realtor for 18 years and also has numerous endorsements.

Charles Cunningham, a third candidate for SR 150, promises to "bring my 25 years of business experience" to the office. Cunningham is well-known to local Republicans. He has served on the board of the Lake Houston Pachyderm Club as well as on several committees of Humble ISD.

Three local men are running for the office of state Representative District 127. Joe Stunja, president of Friendswood Development Company, is seeking his first elected position. Stunja quickly enumerated the simple life values that have caused him to seek political office. Most significantly, he said, is the influence of his mother, who urged him to be part of solutions, or to keep quiet. If elected, Stunja will step down from his job as president, not retiring (as reported inaccurately last week in this newspaper), but probably serving in another capacity for Friendswood or one of its business partners such as Lennar Homes.

Michael Sullivan, a Kingwood resident and business owner, thanked the crowd for their attention. "Politics is exciting again," he said. "People are running for a change." Sullivan told the crowd he thinks the community needs a more effective representative. He compared his daily business experience of making a payroll and struggling with regulation to the empathy now needed in Austin. "I am the only candidate who has released a 10-point plan to make this community better," he said.

Joe Crabb is the man who Stunja and Sullivan would like to unseat. Crabb began by reading off a list of endorsements. He has been the area representative for five terms and "has a proven record." Crabb mentioned that tax increases were the norm in the 11 years before his election and that there "has not been one since I got there."

Senate District 4 is an open race, since incumbent David Bernsen has chosen to run for Texas Land Commissioner. Physician Martin Basaldua co-founded Kingwood Plaza Hospital. A San Antonio native, Basaldua has lived in Kingwood nearly 20 years. He also is well known to local Republicans, having served regularly as a precinct judge. He was on the board for the North Harris Community College District until being appointed by then-Gov. Bush to the State Higher Education Coordinating Board. "Seventy percent of the state's budget goes to education and health and human resources. If elected, I have no homework to do on those issues." Basaldua elicited a chuckle from the group by asking them for their vote, "On my birthday, March 12."

Tommy Williams of The Woodlands is also a candidate for SD4. Williams is giving up the seat he now holds as state Representative of District 15. "I am the most experienced in terms of the legislature," he said. Williams ticked off accomplishments: sponsor of bills to help kids, negotiated an annexation moratorium, and a pro-business voting record.

Michael Galloway is the third Republican challenger for SD4. Galloway actually held the office four years ago but lost to Bernsen. Galloway has the distinction of tossing out of office the legendary Carl Parker, who was state senator for 32 years. A self-employed oil and gas company owner, Galloway touted the "biggest tax cut in history" during his term. He also served on the committee for auto emissions and was vice chair of the Senate's Intergovernmental Relations Committee. "The defining aspect of this race is," Galloway said, "is 'Who is going to provide the right leadership?' I am."

One of these three men will face Mike Smith in November. Smith, an insurance business owner and resident of Porter, is seeking his first term in office. Smith is widely known for his community involvement and volunteerism record throughout Montgomery County. He is on the board of the United Way, is a director for the East Montgomery County Im